The victim was viciously beaten by three men while another man laughed repeatedly, "No faggots in Jack City." The young man can be seen being kicked, punched, hit with a tire—even his cell phone is used to punch him in the face.

The video is very graphic. Watch WSB's report and the video AFTER THE JUMP ...

Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos said that the widespread dissemination of the video led the victim's family members to contact police. "Atlanta police investigators were able to locate the victim, identified as Brandon White, 20, of Atlanta, who gave a statement to investigators," Campos said in statement emailed to the news media Tuesday night.

"We’re looking into the possibility of it being a federal hate crime," FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.

The federal intervention is needed because Georgia is only one of five states without a hate crimes law. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta will make the final decision on whether to pursue the case as a federal hate crime. U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates released this statement:

"Combating violent gang activity in our District, including the Pittsburgh community, is a priority of this office, as are any potential civil rights violations based on a person's sexual orientation. Along with the Atlanta Police Department, we are working to determine if the actions portrayed in the video violate federal law, including the hate crime statute. The actions depicted in the video are appalling and unacceptable in our community, and we encourage anyone with information about this video to contact the FBI or Atlanta Police."

"On Tuesday, FBI agents picked up a copy of the surveillance video that caught the beating. Atlanta police and FBI were at the scene taking pictures and collecting evidence," adds CBS Atlanta.

Black LGBT activists in Atlanta admit that it is "not unusual for gay African-American men who are attacked to remain silent." But the vicious beating has spurred a number of people into action. A Black LGBT community meeting to organize after the attacks was scheduled tonight at the Phillip Rush Center. More details as they develop.

I wonder how we as people can be soo outspoken about certain things, but when it comes time to really speak, we stay quiet. Its my hope this young man gets the courage enough to press charges. The minute those DL THUGS hurled the "f" word, it became a hate crime. Sad to say, but had this been a white boy or girl this happened to, the white LGBT community would have turned McDaniel street upside down.

We run to every gay pride. We go on all the gay cruises. We hook up for sex on adam, bgc, and craigslist. Some of us even go to Lenox mall just to see what we can steal this week. Yet when its time to put those engergies into something worthwhile and long lasting, we are no were to be found. I dont get it.

Just my observations. Not trying to make this a race thing, but I cant help to call it like I see it.

Co-signing all the others. Thanks for staying on this story. I'm always very appreciative that you know what stories our community "needs" to hear about ...

And co-signing LightSkinBruh. I am so very glad this young man is safe and not permanently injured. But we can do better black gay people! And bruhs in Atlanta definitely know they need to stand together!

That was BRUTAL and heartbreaking. Many black youth of today are a disgrace to the civil rights legacy. This is a direct aftermath of C(rap) music and this thuglife epidemic that has been perpetuated in the media for over 20 years.

This is great news; I know it must have been hard for the young man to come forward but let's be thankful for a community that didn't let this go unnoticed. Thanks Rod for your coverage of this story as well. If I may add, Change Atlanta, is an organization of young professionals dedicated to changing the status quo in Atlanta, and team members are also following this story. They can be reached at their website at www.facebook.com/changeatlanta

In Atlanta, yes, white LGBTs would have turned the town upside down no matter the color of the assailants...in rural white America, I doubt if anything would have happened if there were no video of the beatdown.

But still, Atlanta (along with Washington DC) are capitals of black gay America. I agree that we really need to do better, especially when there are so many readily available resources (or at least the possibilities for resources).

Meeting! More meetings. People love to meet. Meet in front of this store and protest and march and demand JUSTICE. This attack is so very brutal and violating all humanity. When I think about ALL of the COUNTLESS times I have been called "gay" "punk" "sissy" or "fag" (by Black people) as early as age 7, today, I feel totally our society is so inhumane and only slightly above animals in the wild - which we "humans" are killing off too. SAD.